Free
by Daynapayna
Summary: Pacing. Pacing. That was all young America could do now. It had been nearly one year since he had lost the Revolutionary War, and this had been his situation ever since.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! I've been reading a lot of historical AU's recently and decided to try my hand at one! I'm not sure whether this will be a one-shot or have more chapters... It all depends on whether or not I come up with more ideas. So, I hope you enjoy!**

** I don't own Hetalia.**

Pacing. Pacing. Clanking chains. Pacing. Pacing. Pacing.

That was all young America could do now. His body that he was once so proud of, was emaciated and scarred. His 'chambers' (rather like cell), was dirty and unkempt.

It had been nearly one year since he had lost the revolutionary war, and had been in this situation ever since.

"Alfred! Get over here!" He heard Arthur call. He sighed.

Arthur walked into the room and sat on his unmade bed. "How are you?" He smiled, and

Alfred glared t him, and looked away. "Alfred? Are you going to answer me? This isn't how I raised you, to ignore your elders like this." He scolded him I'm going to have to punish you if you don't get over here."

Alfred stiffened and turned back towards the elder country, but, still refused to reply. "Alfred." His voice got lower and angrier, "Get over here." Alfred shook his head.

Arthur's face darkened and he stood up. "Last chance." He said, then went and slapped the younger nation, making him flinch back. "Next time, you'll reply when I speak to you, alright? Ok!" He clapped his hands together. "Matthew will be here in a moment to clean you up. We have an execution to go too!" He walked out of the room, and Alfred slumped to the ground.

Who was it this time? Arthur had already murdered most of his founding fathers. John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, the list goes on and on. All hanged in the name of that blasted king.

"Alfred? Can I come in?" The tentative voice of his twin brother spoke up from the door. He nodded. Matthew was the only person he could at least partially trust. Af

"How are you doing?" He asked quietly.

"I'm fine. Alfred lied. How could he be fine on a day like this?

"I'm glad to hear it." Matthew replied, trying to sound cheery as he tended to Alfred's wounds, that were both self-inflicted on accident while trying to escape, or punishment from Arthur or any other solder who wanted to take something out on someone.

Matthew unlocked the chains attached to Alfred's feet and hands, then handed him new clothes, looking way as he changed.

"Well, are you ready?" He asked.

"No." Alfred thought, but outwardly shrugged.

"Ok, then. Lets go!" Matthew replied, his attempt on cheeriness ruined by the cracking in his voice. He hated to see his brother like this. He used to be so happy and free..

They walked out, and Alfred was handed over to the custody of his guards, who would constantly laugh and abuse the young nation, but, "It was for his own good." As Arthur would say.

"I've been waiting for this day for such a long time!" Arthur laughed, turning to Alfred and smiling. They were sitting at the execution site. "Finally, the last of these wretched men who dared call themselves your fathers will be destroyed forever!"

"Not all of them." Alfred thought, thinking of George Washington, who was still hiding somewhere.

After a few minutes of waiting, the accused walking out, his head held high. Alfred gasped quietly. Not. It can't be. But it was. Thomas Jefferson.

He should have expected this, but it was still hard. He began to shake as memories rushed through his brain.

"_What are you doing, Mr. Jefferson?_"_ A young Alfred asked, bouncing into the man's house like it was his own. _

_ "Why, hello, Alfred!" Jefferson smiled. "This is my violin. I was just playing it for inspiration."_

_ "Inspiration for what, sir?" Alfred asked,, sitting down by Jefferson by the dining table._

_ "For the Declaration of independence, my dear boy! I'm sure Washington told you about it?"_

_Alfred nodded. "Oh, yes, sir!" He beamed, then spied the said document sitting on the table. "Could I read some of it?" He asked hesitantly. _

_ "Of course, son!" He handed the valuable document over, knowing that the boy wouldn't dare do anything to it. _

_ "We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal.. This is wonderful, sir!" Alfred exclaimed, his magnificently blue eyes dining with emotion. "Thank you!" Jefferson merely smiled back. _

Alfred was jerked back to reality by Arthur. He was smiling, much like the way Jefferson used to.

"Finally, my son, all these horrible traitors will be gone, and you can be free once more!"

"Free?" Alfred muttered, clenching his fists, "This is free?"

"Why, yes, of course! How couldn't it be?"

"You bloody fool!" Alfred yelled. The whole courtyard went silent. "How in any way could this be called freedom?"

"Alfred, sit down." Arthur hissed, "We ! I won't sit down! I'm not taking any more of this!"

"Alfred, sit down!" I'" Arthur growled.

"NO!"

"That's it!" Arthur exclaimed, and snapped his fingers, beckoning the guards over. Alfred was forced to sit down.

"Are all interruptions finished, now?" The executioner asked irritatingly, Arthur nodded, and waved for him to go ahead.

"Mr. Thomas Jefferson. You are accused of committing treacherous acts toward the crown. Do you accept this charge?"

"I do." Jefferson said, still holding his head high.

"No! Alfred yelled. Jefferson looked over to him and smiled gently.

Alfred watched in horror as they put a noose around the man's neck.

"You are sentenced to hang until dead." The executioner commanded, and stepped back. The drum rolled. _Tatatata_... And the man who had Alfred admired so much, was gone.

_'Snap!'_

Alfred almost fell out of his seat at the sound. Arthur mistook the tears for happiness, and patted his back.

"There, there, my brother." He muttered. "That man can't hurt you anymore."

Alfred clenched his fists. That was the final straw.

On the way 'home', Alfred was feverishly brainstorming. Would Matthew take his shackles off? He had asked before, but he always said no.. He would have to try it again. And if not, he could always knock him out.. Would he be able to find Washington? Was he even still alive? He wasn't sure, but he was sure of one thing. He was escaping. Today, the United States was not meant to live in chains.

"Ok, Alfred, Matthew will be up with your dinner, ok?" Alfred only glared at him. "Alright." He said awkwardly, and walked out.

As soon as Arthur left, Alfred jumped up. "What would break these?" He thought, when Matthew came in.

"Alfred, what's wrong?" He asked worriedly, taking note of his brother's panicked expression.

"Matthew! Help me!" He hissed quietly, and held out his hands.

"What, no!" He exclaimed, just as quietly.

"Please, brother!" He begged, making puppy eyes, "I can't take it anymore. I need to get out."

Matthew shook his head slowly. Alfred had played this card before, and he could usually ignore it. But this time, it seemed like there was something different in his asking. "I can't. You're in here for your own good. I can't let you out."

"Matthew, look at me. Do I look like I'm thriving?" Matthew shook his head slowly. "I need to get out. You can come to! We'll find old George, and get away from that slimy tea-sucking git forever!

"What's taking so long up there, Matthew?" They heard from downstairs.

"Nothing!" Matthew called back. "I've told you this before. I can't let you out! It's for the good of your country!" He turned to go out.

"It was Jefferson." He heard Alfred say quietly.

"What?"

"They killed Jefferson today. He was one of the best people I've ever known! Is that really a good thing, to kill people like him? How is that 'good for my country'?"

Matthew thought for a moment, then sighed. "Fine." Alfred's eyes widened. "You're right. This isn't right. I'll stay here, and cover for you as long as I can, ok?" Alfred was nodding frantically the whole time he was talking.

"Yes! Yes! Thank you!" He cried as Matthew unlocked his chains. "I'll come back for you, ok?" He promised, going over to the window.

"Don't worry about it. There are guards posted at the entrance of the house. If you can get past them, you're home free."

"Thank you!" He repeated, and slipped out the window. His last sight before dropping to the ground was of Matthew looking anxiously downstairs, obviously worried about what Arthur was going to do to him. He felt a bit guilty for leaving his brother all alone like this, but Matthew had chose to stay.

And so, he set of running. For the first time in a long time, he felt _free._

**Do you think I should continue? If so, review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to everyone who has favorited and reviewed this!**

** I don't own Hetalia.**

For hours upon hours, Alfred simply ran. He threw off his worries, his fears, and ran miles upon miles before even realizing it.

Finally, he collapsed, somewhere in.. Pennsylvania? He laid on the ground, just resting for a minute, and breathing the grass in. Gosh, he never knew exactly hos much he missed being free until now.

"S-sir?" He heard feet rushing towards him, and tense. "Sir, are you alright?" small, soft hands pulled at his shoulder.

Alfred looked up and gasped. "Delaware? Is that you?"

"America?" Alfred nodded, and her eyes lit up. "I thought you were dead! We all did!"

"All of you?" Alfred asked, and 11 more children ran out of a small house at the edge of the woods he had not noticed before, all yelling excitedly.

"What are you all doing here?"

"We've been hiding from the Brits!" new York said eagerly, "They've been trying to round us all up for a while now!"

Alfred nodded, shocked that England even knew about his kids, and looked happily at his brave, brave states, and realized something.

"Where's Georgia?" He asked. The states all almost immediately looked down, crestfallen.

"She was captured." New Hampshire said quietly. "We don't know where she is, or if she's even alive."

Alfred felt a rush of anger. These were kids. Delaware was only around thirteen or fourteen physically, and everyone else was even younger. That was why he had rebelled in the first place, to make a better life for his children, and look at them now.

"Don't worry!" He smiled, trying to look cheery for them, "I'm sure Georgia's fine." He stood up, and glance over to the house. "Should we go inside? I can tell you my plan to beat England!" They ll cheered, and ran inside, all except for Delaware, who bit her lip and looked up ta Alfred.

"Are you sure that's a smart idea?, daddy? Last time didn't go very well.." She trailed off.

Alfred grinned sadly and ruffled her hair.

"It's our best bet, Del." He said, and walked with her up to the house.

It was surprisingly cozy. "We ran and ran after you told us too, you know, on that day?"

"Uh huh, go on."

"And we found this abandoned house, it was almost like it was made for us! So we thought, 'Why don't we hide out here for a while?'!" Maryland was saying as they all sat sat in a circle on the dirt floor. There was hardly enough space for everyone, but somehow they managed. "Then we eat whatever we can catch in the woods, and just stay here!"

"Your plan is going to be somewhat possible, what?" Rhode Island, the smallest and most sensible one, clung to Alfred's arm while asking.

"Of course! Don't you trust me? I'm going to fin old George, and we'll bring America out of the rubble!" Everyone cheered except for Rhode Island, who simply looked up at Alfred with his big blue eyes and said,

"Then what?"

"Huh?"

"What are you going to do when you find Mr. Washington?"

"... hadn't thought of that." he said sheepishly.

"You had a whole year to think of a plan and that's all you got?" Virginia said incredulously.

"Of course I thought of something!" Alfred said quickly, "we'll gather a new army, and challenge England again!"

"Dad, do you know anything at all that has been happening recently?" New Jersey asked. Alfred shook his head. Besides the executions, he hadn't been let out of his chambers at all, and had no idea what was happening to his people.

"The times North and I went to town to get supplies and stuff, we've seen Brits everywhere!" South Carolina spoke up, "Everyone's terrified of them, and any independent supporter is executed on the spot!"

"Yeah, no one would even think about defying them now." His twin added.

Alfred frowned. He should have expected that. "Well, what about France? Or Spain?"

Massachusetts shrugged. "Last we heard, Spain was under British rule, but that was a while ago, and we haven't heard anything about France."

Alfred thought for a moment. "Well, then I guess our best bet is to find Mr. Washington." He said, "I'll set out in the morning, and try to find him. But.." He couldn't leave them again, sure, they had been ok for the last year or so, but how could he leave them alone again?"

Delaware seemed to notice his hesitation, and smiled. "Ok! That sounds good! The faster the better, right?"

Alfred nodded, and grinned. "Right!"

The rest of the night dissolved into partying and games, but all too soon it was morning, and Alfred was preparing to leave.

"_It's ok if I stay a bit longer, right?" _He thought to himself, then realized if he put it off, he'd never be able to leave.

"I love all of you." Alfred said, stroking Rhode Island's hair, "And trust me, I'm going to find Washington, gather and army, and be back before you guys even know it."

"I know you will, daddy." Connecticut said,

"And don't worry about us, we'll be fine!"

"Yes, yes, I know!" Alfred said, and hugged the twelve, before walking off with a pang of guilt in his gut. Should he really leave them again?

_"My states are hardy, they can manage it." _He reassured himself, and broke into a run.

Now, where was he going to start searching? Knowing Washington, he would probably be in New York, or some big city, staying undercover and trying to convert people to independence again, so that was where Alfred decided to go first.

And so he headed north, planning to head into Lancaster to steal some food before going to New York, when he heard voices. He knelt down behind a tree before he was seen.

"So, what's known about this bloke?" a man said. Alfred peeked out and his eyes widened when he saw what they were hanging up.

_Wanted; Alfred Kirkland. Alive for 10 thousand pounds. _The posters said, under a picture of Alfred.

"Apparently he's some independence sympathizer, I dunno." The other man said, shrugging. The first man was larger and beefier, with a bristly brown beard and hair. The other was considerably slimmer and younger, but had the same color hair. They were both dressed poorly. Alfred was pretty sure he could take them if he had too.

"What an idiot. Everyone knows the U.S is dead." The first man said bitterly.

"Aw, don't say that, Berkley! Of course America ain't dead! You know," The other man's voice lowered, "If he is an independence sympathizer, I would help him."

That was enough for Alfred. He stepped out, much to the men's shock, and waved. "Um, hi!"

He was greeted with a hammer in the face by Berkley. "What are you doing here?" He growled.

"Hey, calm down, dude!" Alfred threw his hands up, "I heard you guys talking, and thought I should come out!" He grinned for good measure. "I thought you might be able to help me." he glanced over to the other man.

"Cool off, Berk! He's obviously not armed or anything, lets just listen to what he has to say!"

Berkley growled, but lowered his weapon. "You're lucky, kid. If it was just me, I'd be dragging you down to the mayor right now."

Alfred nodded, and stepped back. "Thank you. I appreciate it."

"You should."

"So, what do they want you for? I'm Jack, by the way. And this is my brother, Berkley." Jack interrupted.

"Don't tell him our names!" Berkley exclaimed.

"I'm Alfred! 'Course, it looks like you already know that... I broke into some British general's house." He lied.

Jack's eyes widened. "Awesome!" He exclaimed. Alfred noticed his eyes were the same shade of green as Arthur's, but brushed it off.

"No, that isn't awesome. Come on. Kid, since my brother seems to admire you so much, I'll give you ten minutes before I call the solders, so you better start running." Berkley said.

"Yes, Sir. But first, could I ask you if you would like to join the Rebellion?"


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter was a BUTT to write! But I think I finally got it half-decent.  
>I don't, and will probably never, own Hetalia.<strong>

"Will you join the Rebellion?"

Jack and Berkley stared at him. "Are you kidding me?" Berkley excaimed. "How would you ever.."

"Yes!" Jack said.

"Are you insane? This kid obviously is mad, why would you go along with his ramblings? Now, sir." He said, turing back to Alfred, "Get out of here. Now."

"But, brother!"Jack protested.

"Whatever, dude! It's fine, thanks for letting me go, instead of reporting, me, or something like that!" Alfred started walking away, slightly crestfallen.

"Wait!" Jack said. "I said I was going to help you!"

"Jack, I said no. We could get hanged for just talking about this.."

"Oh, to heck with what you said, Berkley!" Jack yelled. "Would you rather live under England like we've been doing, like dogs, or die fighting?"

Berkley was quiet for a moment, and then sighed. "Fine then." Jack cheered. "So what's your plan?" He asked Alfred grumpily.

"Why does everyone expect for me to have a plan?" Alfred replied, exasperated.

"Do you really expect us to help you if you don't have a plan?" Berkley exclaimed.

"Um, we should probably be a bit quieter." Jack said.

"Yes, right. Do you really expect us to help you if you don't have a plan?" Berkley repeated, now whispering.

"This, um, actually isn't the first time someone's asked me this.." Alfred said sheepishly. "But! I have a lead!"

"And what would that be?" Berkley asked, sending Jack an 'He's an idiot' look.

"Well, I've heard from my sources that George Washington is hiding in New York City!"

"So, we're heading to New York?" Jack asked.

"Yep!"

"And how do you plan on getting to New York?" Berkley asked.

"You ask a lot of questions, dude. By horseback?"

"And how are we going to get horses?"

"Well, don't you have a few that we could use?" Alfred said.

"Only the British soldiers and people with fancy permits own horses now." Jack said, "All of the townspeople have to walk."

"What? That's, huh. Well, then.." Alfred was confused. "How do you guys travel long distances, and stuff?"

"We don't. It isn't allowed. They try to keep us in one place, so there's less of a chance of rebellion." Said Jack.

"That's, just, idiotic!" Alfred exclaimed.

"How do you not know this? It's a standard in most cities, now." Berkley asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Let's just say, I've been tied up." Alfred waved him off. "Do we have any other ideas?"

"We could steal some horses." Jack suggested.

"Yes, if we want to die!" Berkley remarked.

"That's a great idea!" Alfred exclaimed. "Were can we find some soldiers?"

"There's a camp right up there." Jack said.

"Excellent!" Alfred said.

"Okay then, are we ready to die?" Berkley asked. Alfred and Jack cheered.

* * *

><p>"Dangit!" Arthur kicked his couch over, sending it to the ground with a thud. "What do you mean, 'you can't find him'?" He yelled at Francis' face, who glared back.<p>

"I told you, Angleterre, the boy has completely diseappeared." He said.

Arthur growled and started pacing. "Where could he have gone?" He mumbled under his breath.

"Oh, I don't know. Georgia, New Hampshire.. Maybe he's on vacation in Switzerland."

"Oh, shut up, you bloody git."

"Why should I? Just because you've taken over, doesn't mean I have to obey you." Francis stuck his tongue out at Arthur, who in retaliation grabbed the Frenchman's shirt, and shook him.

"That's exactly what it means!" He exclaimed.

"Um, should I come back later?" Matthew said hesitantly, peeking in from the hallway.

"No, it's fine, what is it?" Arthur said, letting go of Francis, who glared hatefully at the Brit, his normal perverted personality completely nonexistent.

"Well, there have been sightings of America, apparentely he was running across South Carolina, towars Georgia."

"Fantastic, prepare a squad at once!" Arthur demanded, then stormed out of the room.

"Ugh, stupid Briton." Francis growled. "Once I regain power, I'm going to strangle..."

"Papa, calm down. I'm sure Alfred will get revenge for you."

"Of course he will. Amerique better not botch this chance."

"Oh, he won't." Matthew assured him.

"Good. Also, that information was fake, correct?"

"Of course."

"Excellent."

* * *

><p>"Are you ready?" Alfred whispered excitedly.<p>

"As ready as I'll ever be." Jack replied, looking nervous. They were hiding in the bushes, watching some soldiers talk.

"I don't see what the big deal is." On of them remarked, sounding irritated.

"He's apparently the General's younger brother, or something like that." The other one replied, then rolled his eyes. "A brat that believes in independence. They should just let him die out here."

Alfred clenched his fists. "Looking for me, are they?" He muttered under his breath. Jack and Berkley glanced at him, surprised.

"You're.."

"This isn't the time! Any time now, they'll have to go to sleep, then we'll make our move." He hissed.

And he was right. Only a few minutes after stating this, the soldiers fell asleep, leaving the small camp unprotected.

"Alright, on the count of three. One, two, Three!" They ran towards the horses tied to a stump as quickly as they could.

Alfred jumped on a flighty-looking black stallion, while Jack and Berkley mounted a brown mare and a pinto. They galloped off, ignoring the yells from the now awake soldiers.

"That was awesome!" Alfred yelled.

"Yes, if by 'awesome' you mean terrifiyingly and obscenely dangerous." Berkley yelled back.

"Duh! Now, onto New York!"

**Thanks for reading! Poor France! And I wonder, why do Jack and Berkley speak so well for 1780s peasants? Hmm..**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi again! **

**I don't own Hetalia, as much as I want too!**

"What did he mean?" It was now night, and Alfred, Berkley, and Jack were camping out in a field. Berkley, after ranting about how dangerous their escapade was, had fallen asleep.

Alfred glanced over at Jack. "What did who mean?" He asked.

"That soldier. He said something about you being the brother of the Commander-in-chief?"

"You caught that, huh?" Alfred said sheepishly.

Jack's eyes widened. "So it's true?" He exclaimed. Alfred shushed him, then replied.

"It used to be." He said darkly.

"But, but what changed? How did you two grow apart?"  
>Alfred laughed sadly. "That's kind of a long story. He was in the British army, I supported the Revolution, and, yeah. I don't really want to talk about it." "That's close enough to the truth, I guess." He thought.<p>

Jack nodded, then looked down. "Okay, goodnight, then." He yawned. "That's awful. I don't know what I'd do without Berkley…" He muttered, then dropped off to sleep.

Alfred sighed and leaned back, settling in for a long night. "You don't know how lucky you are." He said, and yawned also. "Maybe it would be alright if I closed my eyes, just for a second…"

_"I told you I wouldn't allow it." Britain kicked Alfred onto his stomach. "Alfred." He tsked. "You silly little brat, why would you try to run away from me?"_

_"Buzz off." Alfred coughed, and looked around. His army was gone, they had either retreated, or were dead._

_"That isn't how you should talk to your brother, now is it?" Britain said, leaning down to Alfred's height._

_"You aren't my brother." Alfred snarled._

_"What was that?" Britain narrowed his eyes._

_"You aren't Arthur." Alfred said, standing up. "You're, I don't even know who you are! But you aren't Arthur. He wouldn't do this."_

_"I hate to disappoint you, but I am Arthur." Britain smiled. "Now, should we go home?"_

_"Are you frikkin kidding me? Go back to your island, you limey." Alfred spat, turning around and stalking off._

_"I defeated you, Alfred, you can't run away from me!" Britain exclaimed._

_Alfred started running, aiming for the edge of the field. "Get back here!" He heard Britain yelling from behind, but ignored him. If he could only just get to the trees, he'd be able to gather more men, try again…_

_BANG! Alfred felt a bullet rip through the flesh of his leg. He fell to the ground, not letting a scream past his lips._

_"He actually shot me!" Alfred thought, more shocked than afraid._

_Britain walked over to Alfred slowly. "You honestly thought you could run away?" Britain laughed, leaning over him. "You've been a bad boy, haven't you?" Alfred coughed, spitting blood out of his mouth. "It's time for you to be punished!" He yelled, and brought his musket down._

"Alfred? Alfred! Wake up!" Alfred jerked awake with a gasp.

"Huh? What's wrong?" He said, blinking the sleep out of his eyes to see both Jack and Berkley hovering over him.

"You were yelling like crazy." Jack said worriedly.

"We need to move, quickly. Someone was bound to hear your fussing." Berkley said, standing up.

Alfred stood up, shaking the dream of. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"What were you dreaming about?" Jack asked.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it, let's go!"

After cleaning the little they had left, the three set off once again.

* * *

><p>A few days later, the trio was sitting around a table in a run-down restaurant in Paterson. Alfred was gulping down food like his life depended on it.<p>

"I'm surprised no one has noticed us yet." Berkley muttered, keeping his head down.

Alfred swallowed and looked at him. "Huh?"

"Honestly, it's like you haven't eaten in months! What's with you?"

Alfred shrugged. "I'm hungry."

"Well, so am I, but I'm not gulping down food like some…"

"Um, guys? Can you keep it down? Those men are staring at us." Jack said anxiously.

"We better go then." Alfred said quietly, standing up.

The three scurried out, Berkley setting a few coins on the table, feeling the glares of the men on them, as they slowly stood up.

"They're gonna follow us." Berkley muttered.

"Run!" Jack whispered. As soon as they stepped out of the building, they sprinted to their horses and rode off.

"Wait!" They heard yelling behind them, and horses galloping.

"They're following us!" Jack exclaimed.

"I know!" Alfred urged his horse to go faster, and Jack and Berkley followed him. "Let's split up, and we're gonna meet up outside of the city, okay?" Jack nodded, and he and Berkley swerved off of the main road, distracting two of the men in pursuit.

Alfred made a sharp U-turn around a building, going in a big circle, with the men following. He spun around again around another building, and again, confusing the men, until finally, he had lost them.

He exited the city, looking around. Where had they gone? Alfred froze for a moment. Was this a bad idea? What if they were captured? What if they were dead? If they were, it was all his fault, and…

"Alfred!" He heard Berkley call, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're alive!" He said, relieved.

"I-I think we lost them." Jack said, panting slightly. The adrenaline from the chase was apparently making him dizzy, and he stumbled off of his horse, sitting down with a thump.

"Thank goodness." Berkley sighed, then chuckled, also looking flushed. "Think of how pathetic it would be if we were caught now."

"No kidding!" Alfred laughed.

"Now, which way are we going now?"

Alfred thought for a moment, regaining his sense of direction. "Um, that-a way!"

"That sounds really convincing." Berkley grumbled.

"Well, then, shall we go?" Jack asked.

"Are you okay?" Berkley said worriedly. Jack nodded happily.

"Yeah, let's go! Before they come back!"

* * *

><p>"He was spotted where?" Britain exclaimed.<p>

"He and a few other men were chased out of Paterson before our men lost track of them."

"They lost him? Discharge those men immediately."

"Sir, I don't think…"

"Now!"

"…Yes, sir." The man walked out, leaving Britain glowering.

"Canada!" He yelled. Matthew rushed in.

"Yes, father?"

"I have recently been alerted that America is in New York." He said, looking calmly up at the northern nation.

"Really? How is that possible?" Matthew said, looking confused.

"Well, one possibility is that you… lied to me. You wouldn't lie to me, now, would you?" He said dangerously.

"O-of course not, why on earth would I do that? I want America back here as much as you do." Matthew said, looking squarely into the island nation's eyes. "Are you sure that it was America they spotted?"

"I am dead sure."

"Well, I must have been wrong, then. I deeply apologize. I promise, I would ever lie to you."

Britain stared at Matthew speculatively for a moment, before deciding he was telling the truth. "I forgive you. Don't make that kind of mistake again."

"Thank you. Of course not." Matthew walked out of the office and shut the door.

He then sighed and slumped against the wall. "New York?" He muttered. "Alfred, what on earth are you thinking?

* * *

><p>"So, here it is." Berkley remarked.<p>

"Wow." James muttered, gazing around at the buildings surrounding him.

"We did it!" Alfred exclaimed. "Watch out, New York, here we come!"

**I'm sorry, I'm really bad at chase scenes. But I hope you enjoyed it! Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yay for President's day weekendness! I'm not doing anything, but I get off school, so hooray! **

**I don't own Hetalia, or New York, or tomatoes, although we did have spaghetti for supper a tonight, and that had tomato sauce on it, but that just isn't the same thing. Oh, random fact! Did you know that Jdkjlkkjldkjkkjdkjk gets auto-corrected to cloud-cuckoo-land** **in UK English?**

"Where should we look first?" Jack asked. They were walking down the alleyways of New York, their horses left in the field of a lucky farmer.

"Well, probably in the poorer part of the city, what do you think?" Alfred replied.

"Most likely. But shouldn't we find somewhere to rest, first?" Berkley asked.

"Where?" Alfred scoffed. "By now we're probably the most wanted people in the country."

Jack looked down. "Oh, yeah."

"That would be something to think about before opening your mouth in the future." Berkley nudged him.

Alfred chuckled. "I'm sure we can find someone who would be willing to bed us for the night, I'm not completely unconnected in this city!"

"It would seem that way." Berkley muttered.

"That wasn't very nice." Alfred pouted.

"Shove it."

"That wasn't either!"

"Hey, jerkface, turn around." Alfred turned to see a boy, probably around 13 or so, scowling at him. His eyes widened.

"Lovi?"

His scowl grew deeper. "Don't call me that, you..."

"Oh my gosh, Lovino!" Alfred exclaimed, running over to hug the boy.

"Get off of me!"

"What on earth are you doing here? Is Antonio with you? Have you heard from anyone else? How are you?"

Shut up so I can answer, idiot!" Romano snapped. When Alfred let go of him, he continued. "The tomato-jerk has to report to the British butthead, and since he's here because of that execution thing, and apparently because you escaped, we had to come all the way here." He said.

"Wait, Arthur's in New York?"

"Not yet, he'll be here in a week or so."

"Oh, that's fantastic." Alfred said dryly. "I suppose we'll have to speed up our search, then."

"Who is this?" Berkley asked suspiciously.

"Oh! Jack, Berkley, meet Lovino. Lovino, meet Jack and Berkley."

"Are you sure we can trust him?" Berkley asked.

"Of course we can trust him!" Alfred exclaimed, then turned back to Lovino. "We can trust you, right?"

"Do you really think we would side with the tea-sucking idiot?"

"I knew it!" Alfred grinned, then turned thoughtful. "Say, we wouldn't be able to stay with you until Arthur comes, would we?"

"Why do you think I'm out here?" He shivered. "Follow me, idiots." He spun around and started walking away.

Alfred turned to Berkley and grinned. "Let's go!"

Lovino led them to a small, modest looking house right outside of the downtown area of the city.

"Nice place." Alfred remarked.

"It's Arthur's."

"Oh."

Lovino pounded on the door. "Tomato jerk, I'm back." He called.

"Lovi!" Antonio burst out of the house, grinning, but his smile quickly melted away when he spotted the trio behind him. "Who are you?"

"Mr. Spain, it's me, Alfred!" Alfred said.

Antonio gasped. "Little America? Oh, my! I didn't even recognize you! You've gotten skinny. Come in!"

The four shuffled into a small dining room, and everyone sat down around the table, and Antonio beamed at Alfred. "It's definitely great to see you again! And alive! I wasn't exactly expecting that... Anyways, who are these people? What are you doing here?"

"Antonio, meet Jack and Berkley!" He said. Antonio nodded at the two politely. "We heard an old friend of mine was here, so we decided to come looking for him."

"Is this someone I know?" Antonio asked. Alfred nodded. Antonio turned to Lovino, and said, "Say, how about you two go play for a while, and let the adults talk things over, alright?"

"Don't you dare call me a child, 'specially with him in the room." Lovino growled, pointing at Alfred, who blushed slightly.

"Lovi, how about you go down to the grocer? Get some tomatoes."

"...Fine." He grumbled.

"Bye!" Jack said, as he was dragged out of the room.

"Sir, are you sure that's a good idea? We're wanted, maybe they shouldn't be going out." Berkley said quickly.

"You and Alfred are the only ones that have been identified as criminals, the boy hasn't been seen."

"But, he was in that chase in the last town, they didn't see him then?" Alfred exclaimed, surprised.

"Apparently not, I've only seen wanted posters for you two. Jack could walk away from this right now, if he wanted."

"Huh, that's odd." Alfred remarked, rubbing his chin.

"So!" Antonio exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "What's the plan to find this 'friend'?

"Are you sure you want to go through with this? I'm sure Arthur has you on a tight leash right now, it's alright if you want to back out right now."

"Are you kidding? Of course I'll help! If I can, when I get back home, I'll try to contact Gilbert, also!"

"That would be awesome! Wait..." Alfred furrowed his brow. "How much of Europe does he control now? Is Prussia...?"

"No, he escaped. Right now, France and I are under his control." Antonio clenched his fists. "And Lovi. He tried to take him to his home, but I wouldn't let him." He said defiantly. "Oh, and all of his colonies, such as Canada, and so on."

"Of course." Alfred growled.

"What on earth are you two talking about?" Berkley suddenly exclaimed. "You're talking about the countries as if they're people! And before, you called..."

"Antonio."

"Mr. Antonio here Mr. Spain! And he called you 'little America'. What exactly is going on?"

"Oh, don't worry about it." Alfred smiled. "It's just a little game that we like to play. You can be Mexico!"

"Stop being stupid, Alfred! This isn't a game!"

Antonio leaned in close to Alfred and whispered in his ear. "You haven't told them?" Alfred shook his head.

Antonio straightened back up, and nodded. "He's right, Alfred, we don't have time to play these silly 'games'."

"Yes you're right, I'm sorry." There was silence for a moment, then Alfred realized something, something important. "Hey, you have to visit Arthur regularly now, right?"

"Yes, thank you for reminding me, what of it?"

"Then, have you heard anything of Georgia? Or have you seen her, even?" He said excitedly, standing up.

Antonio shook his head sadly. "No, I'm sorry." Alfred immediately sobered up, sitting back down."I'm sure she's fine, Alfred, you shouldn't worry so much."

"Who's Georgia?" Berkley asked.

"My daughter." Alfred said sadly. "She's only six, and Arthur stole her."

"You have a daughter?" Berkley said, shocked. Alfred nodded sadly. Berkley felt a rush of compassion for the man, usually so happy and energetic, now laying his head dejectedly on the table. He stood up, determination in his eyes. "Well then!"

Alfred looked up at him. "Huh?"

"We need to get her back, and to do that, we need Mr. Washington! Come on, you two, let's start planning!"

* * *

><p>"A penny?" The market man scoffed, "You'll need more than that to buy these tomatoes."<p>

"You sold me five for a penny yesterday!" Lovino exclaimed.

"You must be confusing me with someone else, kid. Now move along, you're attracting attention."

"Why, you..."

"We understand, goodbye!" Jack said, pulling Lovino away.

"What was that? I was going to beat him up!" He exclaimed. "Now how are we going to..." He was cut short as Jack waved a tomato in front of his face. He grabbed it eagerly. "How did you, when did you..."

"I swiped 'em when you were fighting with the grocer." Jack beamed, taking out his own. _"Do I just eat this like an apple?" _He wondered. Lovino took a big bite out of his. "_Apparently so." _"You really like these things, don't you?"

Suddenly, a shout pierced the air behind them. "I think he noticed what you did." Lovino remarked, not really sounding like he cared.

That was, until they heard the grocer running towards them. They turned to see the large man running as fast as he could, his face red, and he was shouting incoherently. "I think we should run." Jack said urgently. Lovino nodded, and the two boys ran for their lives.

They ran until they couldn't hear the man any longer, then ducked into an empty alleyway, and waited for a moment.

"Is the coast clear?" Jack whispered.

Lovino looked out, and nodded. "It looks like it."

They each caught their breath for a moment, then looked up at each other, and both started laughing hysterically.

"Did you see his face?" Jack gasped, tears of mirth in his eyes.

"He looked like he was about to keel over!" Lovino laughed, making Jack stare at him. He slowly stopped laughing, and looked back at jack. "What?"

"You should laugh more, it's nice." Jack smiled.

"O-kay." He said uncertainly, then smirked. "You know, you aren't that bad, kid. Weird, but not bad."

"Thanks!" You're not bad, either."

"Like I said, you're weird."

"Hey, should we head back soon? We don't want Berkley and the others to get worried." Jack said.

"Yes, probably. Shall we go?"

Jack nodded, and the two started walking back to the house. "Wow, this is, it's really, isn't it great?" He said happily.

"You're not making any sense." Lovino said, slightly irritated.

"New York! There's so much of everything here! So many people, so many buildings, so much noise! I've never been out of Hampton, so.."

"Shut it."

"I've never seen such a commotion, it's looks so fun!.."

"Shut it!"

"I'll bet you've never been to Hampton, have you? It's a great place, but it's not nearly as busy as it is here!"

"Oh, shut up already!" Lovino hissed, slapping his hand over Jack's mouth. "I thought I saw something."

"What?" Jack said, taking Lovino's hand off of his face and turning serious.

Lovino looked around, and gasped. "It's him, crap, it's him, we need to get out of sight, now!"

"It's who? What's going on, Lovino?"

"Shut up, you idiot! Don't say my name! We need to go warn the others, quickly."

"Tell me, what's going on? Who's here?"

"Seriously? It's Arthur, the man we're fighting against! He's over there."

Jack turned to where Lovino was pointing, to see a man, a short man with dirty blond hair peeking out from underneath a pirate hat. He was wearing a flashy red and black outfit that Jack envisioned only pirates, or privateers, wore. Just looking at him gave Jack the shivers.

"That's our enemy?" Lovino nodded. Jack gulped.

"It's a miracle he hasn't noticed us." He whispered, then pulled Jack to the other side of the street.

The two boys started running again, this time seriously running for their lives. "We'll sneak in the back door." Lovino instructed. "You three need to get out of here. Now."

They reached the house, and ran into the back door, stopping only when they came to the dining room. The men stood up.

"What's wrong?" Berkley was the first to ask.

"He's here." Jack said urgently.

"Who?"

"Oh, for tomato's sake, it's Arthur! He's almost here!" Lovino exclaimed.

Alfred and Antonio glanced at each other. "Go, now!" Antonio yelled. The three made to run out, but froze as they heard someone knocking gently on the door.

"Oh dear."

**A cliffhanger! I've been doing a lot of those lately... So, in come Spain and Romano! Were they good? Bad? Did they come in at the right time? Also, this is the longest chapter so far! So, please review, Alfred and the gang depend on your feedback!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi! It's been a long time since I've posted on any of my stories... But I have an excuse! Last weekend I was at Genesis, (Which was fire-trucking awesome!), then the weekend before I was somewhere else, and since I usually post on weekends... You don't need my life story, you just want to read this, don't you? I thought so. **

** And yes, the staircase is in the dining room. **

** I don't own Hetalia. **

"What're we going to do?" Jack exclaimed.

"Quick! Upstairs!" Antonio exclaimed, pushing the three to the staircase.

Alfred, Berkley, and Jack rushed upstairs as the knocking grew more insistent. Jack and Berkley ducked into a guestroom, while Alfred crouched right at the top of the staircase, as a young child would do while trying to eavesdrop on his parents.

"Spain. Let me in." They heard him call. Alfred froze, realizing. This was Great Britain. The Empire that had crushed him under his heel. He wasn't ready to face that again so soon! He, they, needed to escape, get out, away from him as soon as possible.

"Wait a moment." Antonio called back. "Lovi, upstairs." He whispered. Lovino shook his head resolutely, making Antonio groan in frustration.

"I'm going to break down this bloody door!" Britain yelled.

"Don't you have a key?" Antonio yelled back.

"It's his stupid house." Lovino muttered.

"... Just open the door."

"You lost it, didn't you?" Antonio stormed across the foyer and threw it open.

"Maybe I did, and perhaps I didn't." He replied, striding into the manor, ignoring Antonio's glare. "What took you so long?" He scolded.

"I was just hiding some fugitives, why?" He replied coolly.

"Ha ha, very funny, especially under the current situation." He said, walking into the dining room and sitting down. "Have you actually had company lately?"

Antonio followed his lead and sat down. "No, I haven't. What would make you think that?"

"The chairs. They're arranged as if your guests left in a hurry." He glanced at the staircase, making Alfred shrink back into the shadows. Luckily, it looked like Britain hadn't seen him, as he looked back at Antonio after a moment. Alfred breathed a sigh of relief.

"I told you, I haven't had anyone over! It's just been me here."

"You and Lovi."

"Don't you dare call me that, you idiot!" Lovino yelled from behind Antonio.

"You shouldn't talk like that to your superiors, boy." Britain leaned over and pulled him away from Antonio. "If you were to live with me, you would most certainly be taught to.."

"That 'most certainly' is not happening." Antonio growled, standing up. Lovino pulled himself away, and glared and the Englishman.

"Oh, sit down, Spain. I was joking." He said calmly. "I must say, your English has improved spectacularly since the last time I saw you."

"I don't really have a choice in that, do I?" He replied. "With all of.. your people in my country."

"Why, no, you don't." Britain smiled. "Now, let's get down to business. As you know, America has escaped."

"I've heard."

"His country can feel it."

"What do you mean?"

"Haven't you noticed? People are muttering about rebellion. Some of the bolder men have even talked about it in public! They've been executed, of course."

"That isn't going to stop them. I'm sure these people will always be like that." Antonio said, "These Americans."

"Not if I have anything to say about it." Britain said darkly. Lovino shuddered at his tone.

They sat in silence for a moment, until Lovino spoke up. "What happened to the states?" He said outright.

Britain glanced at him. "What do you mean? Why do you care?"

"What happened to them?" He repeated. "I think we have a right to know."

Britain laughed again, this time more victoriously than anything. "And why do you think that?"

"Just answer the stinking question!"

"Fine, fine." He sobered down. "I honestly have no idea. They ran off before I could get to them. Well, except for Georgia. She's in my carriage right now, in fact. Right outside the front door."

Alfred gasped. Georgia, right outside? He looked at Britain, then to the foyer. Britain wasn't looking, he could possibly make it! He ran stealthily down the stairs.

"Alfred, no!"

He was close, so, so close! He couldn't not go! He rushed to the door, to be stopped by a sword planting itself in the wall, just inches away from his head. He jumped back, and turned to see Britain laughing at him.

"I can't believe you actually fell for that!" He said, shaking his head back and forth. "I thought I had taught you how to see through such an obvious lie." He sighed, and slowly walked over to Alfred, as if he had all the time in the world. "There was no carriage, that much was obvious. Lovino and that other boy saw me in the street, you knew that. I pretended not to see them, of course. And there's no way I would take Georgia so close to where you had last been seen!" He leaned over Alfred, and gently knocked his head with his knuckles. "Use your head!"

Alfred glared at Britain as the man leaned in closer. "Go to hell." he hissed.

"I'm already there, love." He stroked Alfred's face, making him recoil. "Now, let's go home." His voice turned pleading. "Matthew misses you. I miss you. And if you come back, I promise you can see your little girl again."

Alfred's eyes widened. "Where is she?" He yelled.

"Calm down. She's fine, she's safe, don't worry."

"She's with you. How on earth would she be safe?"

Britain scowled. "Come along, let's go."

Suddenly, they heard a clicking noise behind them. "Back up, now!" Lovino yelled, shaking a pistol at Britain, who turned around and scoffed.

"Well, that's a bit surprising. Spain, you let a child have a weapon? For shame."

"I think it's time for you to leave." Antonio said coldly.

Britain's expression turned dark once more. "Do you honestly expect me to leave? I knew you were soft in the head, but I didn't know you were that stupid..."

BANG! Lovino shot him. Britain's eyes widened as a red stain began to spread across his shoulder.

"You actually..." Lovino looked shocked, as if he was the one who was shot. He dropped the gun, and the clatter broke the silence that had suddenly befallen the room.

"Run!" Antonio yelled, pushing Alfred and Lovino to the door. "Berkley! Jack! Get out!" The two bolted down the stairway and out the door.

Lovino turned back. "No! I'm not..."

"Get out!" Antonio gave him a final shove, then locked the door.

"Spagna!"

"Run!" Alfred yelled.

"But, what about.."

"The British are coming!" He exclaimed, and the four bolted down the street, heading for an alleyway, a restaurant, something safe.

They ran as fast as they could, stopping to duck into an alleyway only when they were at least 30 blocks away.

"I.. I think we lost them." Alfred panted, putting his hands on his knees.

"I don't think we were ever being chased." Lovino said dryly. Alfred spun around to see him sitting down, panting as hard as the rest of them. "He came alone, and if we're lucky, Spain'll be able to kill the jerk."

"Boy, don't you feel any regret? You probably killed that man, don't you care?" Berkley asked, shocked.

"He wouldn't die from something as small as that." Lovino scoffed. "He's lucky I had something in my eye, or else he'd be... If he touches Spagna, I swear I'll...

I should have stayed there!" He exclaimed, clenching his fists, hardly making any sense.

"No, it's a good thing you came. There's no way Britain would have left you alive."

"Shouldn't we keep moving?" Jack interrupted.

"Yes, you're right." Berkley said. "Come on." The four began walking south. It was now nearly nigh time, and they decided to find someplace to sleep.

As they continued to walk, Jack noticed that Alfred was lagging behind.

As they continued walking, Jack noticed that Alfred, usually overly happy and running ahead, was falling behind. "Alfred? Is something wrong?" He asked.  
>It had dawned on Alfred what they just did. They had faced England. Britain! And they were alive! It was possible! "We just, that was, I just.."<br>"Calm down, Alfred."  
>"We just faced England!" He laughed shakily.<br>"Yes, we did. It's going to get dark soon, lets go."  
>"Right, right." Alfred shook his head frantically and slid to the ground.<br>Jack rushed over and kneeled down beside him. "What's wrong?" He exclaimed.  
>"It's shock, I think." Lovino said, kneeling down. "It's understandable, after going up against Britain so suddenly."<br>"Britain?" Berkley muttered.  
>"What should we do?" Jack asked worriedly.<br>"Oh, move over." Berkley crouched down by Alfred, and slapped him, hard, across the face. A  
>Alfred let out a surprised yelp, and he leaped up. "Ow! " He stared at Berkley. "What was that for?" He yelled.<br>"You were going into shock." Berkley exclaimed.  
>"That doesn't mean you have to hit me!" He pouted.<br>"It made you shut up."  
>"I hear footsteps." Jack lied, not wanting another fight.<br>"Oh! Well, then, follow me!" Alfred exclaimed, and ran ahead.  
>"That was a fast recovery." Jack remarked.<br>"That's America." Lovino said, shaking his head.  
>"America?" Berkley muttered again.<br>"Hey guys, come check this out!" The three looked around, to see that Alfred had disappeared.

"Alfred? Where are you?

"I'm in here!" Jack noticed that there was a small opening in between two building. It was too narrow too be an alleyway, but just large enough for an Alfred-sized person to fit through. He slid through it, and found Alfred.

"What are you doing?" He asked, pulling him back.

"Look." He whispered. Jack stepped out of the shadows, and was shocked at what he saw.

"It's a.."

"It's a city. It's a city, inside of a city!"

**Well, I heard you like cities. So I put a city inside of a city so you can visit a city while living in a city! It'll become clear in the next chapter.**

** Wow, that seemed rushed. I'm sorry, I was typing this really quickly. As you can see, Berkley is slowly putting the pieces together, but Jack, well, Jack would be good friends with Italy. :) **


	7. Chapter 7

** I am not a fan of this chapter. It just didn't come out the way I wanted it to. **

** Before we start, I just quickly want to explain where they are in more detail. They're in an old part of New York City, that slowly started to crumble. And so, people started to build around it and it was soon forgotten. It's a moderately large area on the outskirts of town, where no one respectable would be caught dead going to, since it's a haven for criminals and rebellers. Now that that's settled, let's start the chapter!**

"What?" Lovino exclaimed, coming through the narrow passage.

"It's not 'A city inside a city', you idiot." Berkley sighed, coming behind Lovino. "It looks like just a forgotten part of the city."

"Well, that's what I meant!" Alfred replied.

"Sure it was." Berkley rolled his eyes.

"What're you doing here?" Alfred turned to see a young boy staring at them.

He smiled. "Hi! What is this place?"

"This is where criminals and rebellers came to escape the law!" The boy exclaimed, then puffed his chest out proudly. "I'm here 'cause I kicked a Brit in the balls!"

Berkley and Lovino both snorted while Jack started laughing hysterically. "Oh, really?" Alfred replied while holding in his own laughter.

"Yep!" He beamed, then narrowed his eyes. "You aren't soldiers, are you?"

"Of course not!" Alfred exclaimed indignantly.

The boy stared at him for a moment. "Prove it."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Lovino asked.

Alfred leaned down to his eye level, and put his hand over his heart. "I forever strive against Great Britain, and will work to bring liberty and justice to all." He said, very seriously.

The boy grinned. "Awesome! I'm Danny, by the way!"

"Hi, Danny!" Alfred grinned, then an idea came to him. "Hey, would a man going by Washington live near here?"

"Um, yes, actually. Follow me!" Alfred cast an excited glance to the other three, and ran after Danny.

Danny stopped in front of one of the more broken-down buildings, and peeked his head in and asked if anyone was home. He walked back over to Alfred and nodded. "He says you can come in."

Alfred hesitantly walked in, slightly worried. Was it really going to be this easy to find him?

Inside, the building only had one room, with a battered bed pushed to the side. The walls were empty, with a nail or two sticking out of the wall where decorations used to be.

An old desk in the middle of the room was stacked up with all sorts of papers, and behind those papers were...

"Mr. Washington!" He exclaimed. George Washington stood up. "Alfred? I thought you were..."

Alfred rushed over and hugged the old man. "I though it would take months, years! To find you! But you're right here! I'm so glad you're alright!"

"I'm alright? What about you? How are you? I'm sure England would have killed you!"

"Well, I'm still alive!" Alfred laughed, then turned serious. "What's all of this?"

"Wait a second." Berkley remarked. "Pardon me, sir, but you too?"

"What?"

He turned away from the almost-president, and to Alfred. "I've humored your transparent lies for this long, but this is it. I need to know the truth!"

Washington turned to Alfred as well, with a surprised look on his face. "You've been traveling with humans, and you haven't told them what you are?"

"Erm..."

"What you are?" Jack asked, confused.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it!"

"Oh, I'll tell them!" Lovino exclaimed. "Alfred's the personification of your country."

"What? Don't play games with me, kid."

"Seriously, look at him and tell me he isn't New England."

"I prefer the United States, thank you!"

"I know. "

"Shouldn't we save this for later?" Jack suddenly suggested. Alfred looked at him, and nodded.

"Yeah, you're right, I'm sorry. So!"

"Yes?"

"We need to catch up!" He turned to Washington. "What's been going on over here?"

"Oh, there's been quite a bit going on!" He replied. "But, it isn't really safe for children's ears. Would they like to go explore the area?"

"But, I'm older than Alfred is!" Lovino exclaimed.

Jack lit up. "Could we, really?"

Washington smiled. "You can go wherever you want, as long as you stay within sight of the house."

"Ok!" Jack dragged a protesting Lovino out of the house.

"What did he... I think I need some air." Berkley sighed. "You, I mean, countries, gaah!" He walked out.

* * *

><p>"Darn it!" Britain exclaimed, ramming his hand into the table before resuming his pacing. "I was so close, and... It's all that brat's fault! If he hadn't shot me... Why did he even have a gun? I thought I had forbidden both him and you to be armed. You must have let him have one anyway! And so, it's your fault!"<p>

He stopped pacing to look at Antonio. Antonio looked very worse for wear, with a black eye, and several cuts and bruises on his face and body. He glared at Britain, not saying a word.

"I should just kill you know." He growled. "I should just kill all of you!"

"Sir." Britain whipped around, to see one of his soldiers standing in the doorway.

"Yes, what is it?"

Your son is here, as requested." Matthew walked in to see a fuming Britain.

"What;s wrong?" He asked.

"I had your brother in my grasp, that's what's wrong!:" He yelled. "But that little midget somehow had a gun, and shot me in the shoulder."

"Don't you dare call Lovino..."

"Shut up, you Spanish hillbilly." He spat.

"Father, I think you're overreacting."

"Overreacting? I could have finished this whole disaster right then and there!"

"Yes, but..."

"No buts!" Britain replied, then sighed, massaging his forehead.. "I'm exhausted. I'm going to take a nap. Watch him."

"Yes, sir."

Britain stalked upstairs, and Matthew heard his bedroom door slam. He rushed over to Antonio.

"Are you alright? Was he alright? Was he alone? What's the plan?" He whispered, sitting down beside him.

"Calm down, Matthew!" He replied. "Alfred's fine, he got out safely, obviously, and he's with two humans and Lovino."

"Two humans? Why? And Lovino? They've never gotten along well together, you know that."

"I know, but it wouldn't be safe for mi tomate here." Matthew nodded in agreement. "And the humans, well, I don't know why they're with him, but they seem intelligent.

"Well, that's good."

"He said that he was going to find that man, George Washington. He said that he would most likely have a plan."

"Yes, he would. That's excellent, thank you. Very good to hear. Is there anything I can get for you?"

"Nothing that wouldn't get you in trouble with him."

Matthew looked down. "are you sure?"

"Si! I am España, don't worry about me!"

Matthew bit his lip. "I'm sorry for all the trouble we've caused you."

"It's nothing." Antonio leaned back and sighed. "Britain was already becoming a threat before the revolution. This would have happened eventually. Right now, I couldn't care less what happens to me, as long as he's irritated."

Matthew smiled. "Well, helping Alfred certainly got him irritated at you."

Antonio smiled, then turned serious. "But, if Alfred blows this chance, or if Lovi gets injured in his care, I'll never side with him again." He muttered.

Matthew frowned. "I understand what you're feeling, but don't you trust Alfred? He nearly beat Britain in the first war, after all."

"To be completely honest, no. He's too young, and there's too much to be lost if he messes this up. But right now, he's our... no, not just our only hope. He's the whole of the world's only hope. If he fails, Britain will most certainly take over the world."

**I'm sorry, this isn't my best chapter.**

**Guess what! I got a baby bunny! He's so cute! And guess what else, he loves reviews! So review to make him happy, please! **


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